


Family

by Annibal



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-06-01
Packaged: 2018-02-03 00:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1725215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annibal/pseuds/Annibal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matthew and Will decide to try to adopt Abigail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TassyRiddle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TassyRiddle/gifts).



When he was woken by soft kisses Matthew had breakfast already on the table, still holding his spot as caretaker. He had had that title since he first started to visit them in the hospital and had kept it up over the months, even as his relationship with Will changed. Will had pulled a robe on before joining him in the kitchen, where Abigail was already seated. 

She was in her own sloppy pajamas that Matthew had gotten her for the first birthday they shared together, he could still remember how pleased she was with the perfectly normal gift. Will himself had bought her fishing lures, a gift he had tottered over for weeks. The worried expression she used to wear like a mask was starting to melt and she generally looked like any teenager who was woken up for breakfast. 

The chairs were seated so that she was across from the two of them. Matthew set it up that way so that he could hold Will’s hand under the table, and every time Will saw it he had to hide a smile.

Their relationship still had the touches of newness; Will still hesitated to slip out of his clothing in front of Matthew even though he had seen the scar a million times. It was a painful thing, all the things he had lost, but Matthew never treated it as such. His lips would brush against his new skin and he would whisper both praise and regrets. 

Matthew had been exonerated; all the evidence had disappeared after going to the lab and with neither Alana nor Jack able to testify there was nothing to hold him. Will still wondered if Price and Zeller had anything to do with that. If it was possible they held almost as much anger at Hannibal as he did. With Hannibal still out there, he could see why they would want the man who tried to kill him free. In the end Matthew had been found innocent of all charges, due to the staggering lack of evidence. He hadn’t gone after Hannibal though, he had gone to visit Will. 

After that Matthew spent every day beside him in the hospital, telling him that he was taking care of the dogs and that Will didn’t have to worry. Will couldn’t even ask how Matthew got in his house until they extubated him. Instead Will chose to use his voice to ask that Matthew look out for Abigail as well. She had no one left to visit her. Matthew may have killed before, but he felt he could trust him to look after her, Matthew’s willingness to please Will was a very strong thing. 

From that point on when he asked after Abigail Matthew always had an answer. Soon it turned into visits with the three of them, Matthew wheeling her in so that she could see him. 

In the beginning things had been weird between them, she wouldn’t meet his eyes. He understood she survived by listening to Hannibal that it wasn’t her fault, so slowly they helped each other work through the guilt they felt over what happened at Hannibal’s house. Soon when she had the strength to walk on her own Abigail would hang out in his room to keep him company. 

It only punctuated how alone she was. 

On her release Abigail accepted his offer to be her guardian; she didn’t want to go into foster care with strangers and Will was willing to go through the program to take her in. 

Abigail quickly spoke about going to college soon, and that she wouldn’t be there for long, but Will didn’t care. He didn’t want to lose her again; the last two times had been painful enough. She may not have been his daughter, but he felt the responsibility to her as if she was. 

Matthew had gone to his house and prepared the upstairs for her. Will had asked him to stay there as well, not wanting her to have to be alone in the woods. 

Matthew had stayed at his house with Abigail at night, and in the day he would come to Will’s bedside. It had only seemed natural the first time Matthew kissed him, and when he had come home Matthew hadn’t left Will’s house. They shared his bed, and the warmth of having another person beside him helped. Although his scar still pulled when he moved Matthew was always careful not to hurt him. 

It was only a few months later now, and they had slowly gotten used to the strange family they made.

When Matthew served her breakfast he said the words that Will and him had been struggling to get out. Even though Matthew was younger, he seemed to be better at communicating with Abigail, so in the end they agreed Matthew would be the one to tell her.

“We don’t mind if you take a year off Abigail, you’ve been through a lot.”

Matthew didn’t have to say anything about the fame she had now because of her victimization. It would be best to put time between the news being filled with her face and her first day of college.

“You don’t have to worry I’ve already started looking at campus tours online.

When silence fell between them Will didn’t pick it up, sharing a look with Matthew before digging into his breakfast.

*

Will had his head on Matthew’s chest, listening to all the sounds inside his body before he could finally say it. 

“She thinks that she has to leave. I hate thinking that she doesn’t feel like this is her house too.”

Matthew’s fingers slid through his hair getting caught in the curls. 

“You’re already her guardian, and you’ve been awarded custody. It’ll probably just take time.”

Will worried that they didn’t have time, that she would start college early just to get out of their hair and be face to face with what her father and Hannibal had done every day. He wanted to give her a break, some time to see a real therapist and deal with the horrors she had lived through.

“What about adoptions?” 

As soon as he said it the hand in his hair stopped. 

“A single 40 year old man adopting a 16 year old? You’re lucky that you’re her guardian.”

Matthew’s tone spoke of the likelihood of that happening.

“I’m only 38.”

He could tell Matthew was watching him intently and he knew he had an idea.

“What?”

Will asked, rolling so that he could see Matthew’s expression. While he still avoided his eyes he knew the admiration that laid there, it had not faltered in the three months they had been together. 

“It might be different if you were married.”


	2. Chapter 2

When they had spent enough time with the adoption lawyer to know that it would help they had quickly set up the day.

Matthew kept looking at Will as he signed their marriage certificate. It was hardly a real wedding, just the two of them and two of the other nurses that had worked at the Baltimore hospital who were there to be their witnesses. 

His stomach still felt tight though, because it was just another sign of how willing Will was to bind himself to him, to the start of a new family together. He tried to tell himself that it was just for Abigail, but the last month they had spent debating it made it feel like it was real. They had picked out rings together, had figured out all the paperwork and even booked their time at the courthouse. 

Will’s writing was easily readable and his own scribble was much less so, but it was good enough, it was legal. Seeing their names printed out beside each other made it all feel real.

His hand shook at he slipped the white gold ring on Will’s finger, putting his own on in a moment of confusion between them. Will quickly laughed it off, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. 

No matter how many times he told himself that they were just doing it for Abigail’s sake it didn’t dampen the butterflies in his stomach. 

Will took the certificate and with a few congratulations from the nurses they piled into Will’s car for the drive back. 

Matthew couldn’t stop looking at the ring on Will’s finger, and Will seemed not to mind. They already had the adoption papers prepared, they only needed to talk to Abigail and see the lawyer again.

Abigail was at a friend’s house, they had all night to figure out how to broach the subject to her. Before long they ended up in bed, properly sealing their marriage in sweat and heated touches. It was a moment with no worry, but as the sweat started to cool on their skin the thought of how reckless they were acting started to dampen the mood.

“We should have asked her first, we should have invited her.” 

Matthew heard the hesitation in his voice and he was glad he wasn’t the only one feeling nerves over the adoption.

“It probably would have been a good idea.”

“It would have made her feel like a part of this. What if she doesn’t want to be adopted?”

Matthew ran his hand down Will’s stomach until he hit the scar. It was a reminder of how Will and Abigail were connected and the bond that they shared from pain. Will no longer tensed as he touched it; he was starting to heal from more than the damage done to his body. It showed Matthew how strong he was, just like Abigail, a survivor. 

“Would you have done this if you weren’t sure of her feelings?”

Matthew asked, knowing how to calm Will down from his own worry. 

“I just did didn’t I?” 

Will laughed and the tension eased to a giddy hum in the air between them. The mood was changing between them and heating up again even though Will would need a little more time. 

“I guess so.”

Matthew slipped his arms around his waist pulling Will tight against him; it was strange to think that they were married. Even if they had made a deal that it was just for Abigail and that if things didn’t work out between them they would stay married until she was 21 so that she could stick on the hospital’s healthcare plan. It didn’t feel that way when Will was next to him in bed wearing the ring that matched his own.

“This is crazy.” 

Matthew didn’t answer; he just kissed him, sharing their first real kiss as husbands. Will slowly melted into him, arms coming around his waist.

They all shared the same darkness; they had all killed in the past. Matthew was sure that they could make it work, because Abigail would never have to hide from them. It was what had allowed them all to heal together.


	3. Chapter 3

Abigail looked at the two of them, something had changed. Will no longer stood awkwardly to the side when Matthew came too close, and he actually let their hands mingle. 

She saw the looks that passed between them and she knew it well, she had seen these looks from her parents. They were forming a united front against her. 

Abigail braced herself for what they wanted to say to her. She knew they had been talking about her behind her back, and she wondered if her welcome was finally up. A hollow feeling filled her as she resigned herself to what they had to say. Just when she had thought she had finally found a place in the world that was fully hers, where no one imposed their needs on her, it was about to disappear.

Matthew and Will never forced her to do anything, and Matthew had become almost like a big brother, getting her to play baseball with him in the front yard, the whole time the dogs trying to catch the ball. Will tried to play her father, but he was unlike any father she had known. Abigail did not have to kill in order to save herself; she did not feel fear for the first time that she could remember. The only demands he ever made was teaching her how to fish.

Abigail wasn’t sure she wanted to admit how safe she felt with them; she still had nightmares, but so did Will. Sometimes they would share a cup of hot chocolate while they calmed down in preparation for a second try at sleep. 

“Just spit it out.”

Her voice didn’t hold the trepidation she felt and she kept her back stiff. She had survived this long; she could survive being alone again.

“It’s just that-”

Will stopped and looked at Matthew who was chewing on his lip. They both looked nervous. She knew she was missing something key, but she couldn’t read it from their expressions. 

“How would you feel if Will really was your father? Legally?”

Matthew spoke with the slow deliberate inflection he always had, but the words felt like a rush. 

“What do you mean?”

Abigail didn’t want to play games, and at her words they looked at each other again and Matthew walked out of the room. She wasn’t going to cling to hope this time; she would take things as they came.

“You have a few years until you are 21; I thought it might be good for all of us if we make this legal. You can go under Matthew’s healthcare plan as family, and we can help out with college.”

Matthew came back and set down a folder of papers on the table beside her. 

“Adoption papers.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but we were hoping that you would want to.”

Will added, nervously straightening out the folder and stepping back. 

Abigail looked up at the two of them, the strange way they were acting suddenly making sense. She couldn’t find the words to speak, it was one of the last things she ever expected to hear from them.

“We should have asked you first.”

Will quickly said to fill the air. 

“No, it’s okay.”

Abigail said as she started to look through the papers, leafing through them on the table, she could see all the effort they had gone through. It was all for her. 

When she saw the marriage certificate tucked inside she looked up at the two of them. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Matthew’s lips pulled up in a lopsided grin, and he put his arm around Will’s waist. He looked proud, where Will on the other hand looked anxious, hiding behind his glasses. It wasn’t a look Abigail had seen on him in a long time. 

“I shouldn’t have tried to surprise you. It was a bad idea.”

Will started to gather up the papers again, and she could tell he was about to flee. They weren’t the family she ever imagined herself with, but maybe it was just the one she needed. 

“No, I want to.”

Will stopped and looked at her, this time not hiding at all. The smile that she gave him was returned, it was nice to feel the lack of expectation behind it. She felt like this what family was meant to be.

**Author's Note:**

> For tassyriddle.tumblr.com on the prompt "Could you please write a story where Matt and Will adopt Abigail after season finale?"
> 
> I have never written Abigail before so I felt strangely nervous, I think this is why it took me so long to post it. I really hope this fills the needs of the prompt, I really had fun with it. I just looked up adoption on some Maryland sites, so I am not really sure how correct everything is. Suspend your disbelief of that and Matthew getting out so fast :p


End file.
